Never mind the book, check out writer’s outfit
Some concepts just seem to have affinity (or antipathy): meatballs and spaghetti, song and dance, Giants and Dodgers. And some just sit there, side by side. It’s interesting to contemplate writers and their outfits, but it may be akin to contemplating bank robbers’ favorite show tunes.
To save literature lovers and fashionistas time, I have combed the pages of
Terry Newman’s new book, “Legendary Authors and the Clothes They Wore.”
As to local verb- and scarf-slingers, a category in which I’m including people who have lived here part time: A section about glasses names Allen Ginsberg (his glasses, writes Newman, “pulled his outfits together”), Robert Crumb (glasses he wore in the 1960s would be considered “catwalk hip” today) and Joyce Carol Oates (“small oval frames that ... fit her face in a growingold-gracefully fashion”). Michael Chabon is mentioned for his hair (“untamed ... the edge of a rock and roll poet”); Maya Angelou wore cocktail dresses when she was young and “forever looked together”; Mark Twain liked white linen, although his wish was to wear it all year ’round in New York.
And although Patti Smith didn’t live here, I can’t resist sharing her reminiscences, as revealed in a 2010 interview quoted by author Newman: “When my mother would say, ‘You should shave your legs,’ I would ask ‘Why?’ ” Thus is our understanding of the human condition enriched. At the museums: For this childlike connoisseur of naughtiness, a big unselfconscious part of the pleasure at the opening of “Sarah Lucas: Good Muse” at the stately Legion of Honor was the definitely un-stately subject matter of Lucas’ art, a response to“Auguste Rodin: The Centenary Installation.” At the museum’s main entrance, the bottom half of a sprawled nude presents its backside — with cigarette inserted — to arriving guests. It’s like the museum itself is being goosed. Walking around Thursday night, you could hear gasps and laughter as people came upon various pieces. Lucas herself seemed to be having a fine old time, singing along as her friend, Sade keyboardist Andrew Hale, played “Mr. Blue Sky” on the organ.
The exhibition is bawdy, comical. Curator Claudia Schmuckli describes the artist’s intentions as “disarming” traditional views of women, “oscillating between idolization and objectification.” I’d just been reading that afternoon that in Paris, President Trump had greeted Brigitte Macron by remarking, “You’re in such good shape,” then repeating, as if ranking a show dog, “She’s in such good physical shape. Beautiful.” To the socalled leader of the free world, may we present Lucas’ image of a woman in good shape, right at the entrance to the show.
The Thursday, July 13, members’ preview of Soundtracks at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art afforded the chance for a lunchtime stroll through the exhibition, which probably and deservedly will be a lot more crowded now that it’s open. Being surrounded by aural and visual stimulants is meditative, refreshing. Fully engrossed, I was surprised when a pair of grinning people approached. “Be sure to go into the room behind the elevator,” they said. Apart from communal dressing rooms, strangers don’t usually offer aesthetic advice. But I followed it. And, in the interests of paying it forward, I am herewith passing it on: Ragnar Kjartansson’s “The Visitors.” It’s a surprise ... then, pass it on.
The Park Branch of the San Francisco Public Library, in the Haight-Ashbury, seems to be focusing on the dry goods of the Summer of Love. A dyeing workshop, a tie-dye workshop and a fashion show are planned. The free macrame plant holder workshop is at the library on Wednesday, July 19, at 6 p.m. “These plant hangers utilize some of the most important knots in macrame including the half hitch, square, overhand knot and half square knots,” says the class description. “Once you learn these skills, you will be able to create large and more intricate pieces on your own.” All materials will be provided.
Larry McCoy was surprised to see this combination of allusions on a Prius in Palo Alto: a sticker saying “Resist” and a Republic of Vietnam Service Medal license plate holder. The medal was given to U.S. and allied personnel who served in Vietnam during the war. McCoy’s surprise must be because someone who served would be part of the Resistance. To me, both are patriotic acts.
Vacation advice from Gary Mule Deer: “If you look anything like your passport photo, you’re probably not well enough to travel.”